 Allergic conjunctivitis is characterized by itchy, watery, bloodshot eyes and swollen lids. These symptoms are similar to viral conjunctivitis (pink eye). If you have no known allergies you should be checked by the eye doctor to ensure it is not something more serious. You should see your eye doctor, who has the equipment and expertise, to detect, differentiate & diagnose allergy from infection. By mid-2008, Ontario optometrists will finally be able to prescribe eyedrops for "pink eye" conditions.
OTC allergy pills often alleviate the eye symptoms. However, drug side effects such as drowsiness and dry eye may be a problem. Allergy eyedrops avoid this side effect. For instant relief, OTC eyedrops ending with "...-A" are antihistamines that can be used as needed for mild occasional allergy symptoms. These drops do sting a bit, work quickly, but also wear off quickly. However, don't overuse them; if you have to use them more than 2x/day for more than a few days one of the other following drops, or preferably prescription eyedrops would be safer and more effective. Overuse may lead to dry eye and physical dependence; you may have to keep using them to prevent bloodshot eyes.
Other drops, once only available by prescription, are now OTC. Cromolyn or Opticrom are preventative medications that must be used 4x/day throughout your entire allergy period. They have no effect until you have been using them for 1 week. Unfortunately, many people improperly use these for symptomatic relief only, like the antihistamines above. This has no effect other than an artificial tear. These drops are designed for the chronic allergy victim who has allergies from spring to frost. With their 4x/day requirement they are inconvenient for contact lens wearers.
New prescription eyedrops combine the effects of both groups above and require only 2x/day dosing, thus, contact lens wearers can apply one drop before CL wear in the morning, and one drop after taking the CL's out. To be effective contact lenses must be removed prior to using any eyedrop medicine. Contacts will absorb preservatives and agents in the medical eyedrops causing reactions and reducing the dose of drug that gets to the eye.
With any red eye, an eye exam is recommended to determine the cause, severity and best treatment. In some cases, artificial tears may be all that is required to alleviate your symptoms.
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